Above-ground transformations in Agroforestry Systems in watersheds: case of cocoa agroforests of Central Cameroon

Local knowledge passed down from ancestors to descendants indicates that a considerable proportion of the forest margins of central Cameroon was previously covered by forest savannah. These forest savannahs have since been occupied by pioneer settlers who have developed traditional agroforestry systems. These agroforests are simultaneous land management systems, in which tree components occupy the same area as crops and, sometimes, animals. Similar to home or forest gardens, the agroforests possibly constituted the first transformation of original vegetation into a consciously managed agroforestry system. To date, their value is based on their flexibility, both economically (i.e. flexible demand on labour) and ecologically (i.e. diversity of species and different harvest periods for products) and in terms of the adaptation of products to local and national markets as well as household needs (Minchon, Mary and Bompard,1989).

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